Why I Make YouTube Videos (and Give Away My Knowledge) | Wood Stove Chat + Knife Sheath Making

Welcome back to another Wood Stove Chat! Today I’m in the shop by the fire, sipping coffee, and working on some custom leather sheaths for a few knives I forged last week. While I stitch and shape leather, I’m answering a few questions I get all the time — including one of the biggest: “Why do you make YouTube videos?” In this episode of Woodstove Chat, I share what drives me to create — from marketing my knife-making brand, to leaving a legacy for my kids and grandkids, to simply helping others learn the craft. I also dig into the realities of running a YouTube channel as a full-time bladesmith — the long hours filming, editing, setting up lights, and why views don’t always tell the full story. Plus, I touch on: The difference between forged vs. stock removal blades 🔥 Why I share information freely (and still get paid for it) My new outdoor & family channel, “Bonded by the Land” 🏕️🎣 Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair by the fire, and enjoy this honest conversation from the forge. 👉 Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more knife-making tips, shop talks, and behind-the-scenes content. 🔔 Hit the bell so you don’t miss the next video! Bonded by the Land Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@BondedbytheLand 🕒 Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome & coffee by the fire ☕ 00:40 – Working on custom leather sheaths 01:00 – Why I make YouTube videos 02:10 – Marketing your craft & building a brand 03:20 – Leaving a legacy for family 04:00 – YouTube monetization & Patreon support 05:45 – Why I don’t chase trends or flashy builds 07:40 – The reality of filming & editing knife-making videos 09:20 – Challenges of YouTube algorithms 11:00 – From filmmaking to bladesmithing 12:40 – The question: “Why give away info for free?” 13:40 – Paying it forward in the knife-making community 15:05 – Forge vs. stock removal debate 🔥 15:50 – Announcing my new channel: Bonded by the Land 16:35 – Wrapping up the sheath & final thoughts (Below are affiliate links to products that I get a small fee at no extra cost to the buyer) YesWelder welding machines https://yeswelder.com/?ref=qkvl6voq Use CODE: TONYSEVERIO at checkout for 10% OFF! Framelock building playlist: https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PL3J5OXaYrzvTmfsS4J46JJjspcib1MlFj/videos Knifemaking Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3J5OXaYrzvSu9Y9O1VvqcTBrFlXcrB_1 Damascus making Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3J5OXaYrzvQmX2JoRJC710cppxj7Iq2T Optical Center Punch https://amzn.to/3GSLGY6 Cratex Jeweling Stick 400-600 grit https://amzn.to/47boZcR Barrel Lap set https://amzn.to/4eY47Gx Digital Angle Finder https://amzn.to/3CFWJC9 #53 Carbide Drill Bit https://amzn.to/3ZbhqhW #54 Carbide Drill Bit https://amzn.to/3Z82u4i 1/16 inch 440C ball bearings for detent https://amzn.to/3ZbiZfO 1/16 inch ceramic ball bearings for detent https://amzn.to/48UAHaI Cutoff Wheel and Arbor https://amzn.to/4eoW0T5 5/16 Carbide Ball End Mill https://amzn.to/3AL24Hv Optical Center Punch https://amzn.to/40vS3Z8 5/64 carbide drill https://amzn.to/3AhnagC #44 carbide drill https://amzn.to/3YToY9b .166 counterbore https://amzn.to/4e2hAfS #13 (.185 inches) Carbide Drill https://amzn.to/4eVfyQ3 3/16 (.1875 inches) Carbide Reamer https://amzn.to/3UmDBPi 1/8 (.125 inches) Carbide Spotting Drill 9/64 (.14 inches) Carbide End Mill 8-9 Ounce Vegetable Tanned Leather https://amzn.to/4cBGq7j Weldwood Contact Cement https://amzn.to/4lyhx06 Brown Leather Dye https://amzn.to/3GexsRe Neats Foot Oil https://amzn.to/43Tgu4F 3 piece basketweave leather stamps https://amzn.to/44cQ64i Leather stitch groover https://amzn.to/45ztTjg Leather stitch marker https://amzn.to/4lhtxSX Reading and Instruction: Knife Engineering by Dr. Larrin Thomas: https://amzn.to/3SO7hlP BUILD YOUR OWN HYDRAULIC FORGING PRESS by Dr. James Baston: https://amzn.to/3fV86L1 THANKS to my Patrons! Eric Bethard Charles Apodaca Michael Hodges Jeff Schafer Mark Anderson Allan Williams Anderson Hand Forged Michael Baker Sonja Stevenson Jeremy Green Justin Goodman James Buck Jason Mulkey Richard Branton Robert Bryant Bruce Brissette Clint Hancox Joe Dees Steve Mowatt Dave Perry Dan Still Sam Daugherty Shane Wismeyer Robert Gore George C. James Murphy Rynn Smith My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tonyseverioknives My Website: https://www.tonyseverioknives.com My Instagram: http://instagram.com/tonyseverioknives My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tonyseverioknives My TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@tonyseverioknives #customknives #bladesmith